Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on October 08, 2022 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson | Getty Images )
SUZUKA, Japan – Following the return to form for Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing in Friday’s Free Practice sessions, all attention at the Suzuka International Racing Course turned to Saturday’s final practice and qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
It was time to see if Red Bull and Verstappen could keep their pace or if another challenger could take the fight against the domination.
Before the start of track activity on Saturday, Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri announced that they had finally finalized their lineup for the 2024 season. Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda would be lining up for AlphaTauri in 2024, while Liam Lawson would return to the reserve driver role.
With qualifying approaching, teams were looking towards the final practice to get some much-needed last-minute information to perfect their cars. Once the light turned green on the pit lane, teams immediately took advantage of the green track and started putting laps down.
Once again, Verstappen shot to the top of the timing sheets in his Red Bull to set the pace for the final practice. McLaren turned up the wick in the final practice to show that they might be the closest competitors to Verstappen, closing out the Top 3 with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri showing impressive speed.
The other Red Bull of Sergio Perez turned around a quiet Friday to grab the fourth fastest time, with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc rounding out the top five.
With the final practice complete, teams focused on qualifying and setting the grid for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Soon, it was time to work on setting the field. To start things in the first round of qualifying, it was uncharacteristically quiet once the pit light went green to start the session. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the AlphaTauri of Liam Lawson started things off. However, it got hectic quickly once the rest of the field got on track.
Verstappen finally got onto the track and set the benchmark again for the day, with the McLaren duo of Norris and Piastri behind, trying to keep it close.
While drivers were starting to get their laps in, Williams rookie Logan Sargeant went off in the final corner, sliding into the barriers and ending his day with a heavily damaged car. At the time, the Ferraris of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were still looking to get their first lap in.
Track marshals worked hard to clear the damaged Williams and debris off the track. Once they did, the first round of qualifying finally got back underway.
The Ferrari pair finally got their lap in while Verstappen held firm at the top of the board. And once time finally ran out, Alfa Romeos’ Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, Aston Martin’s Stroll, and the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg joined Sargeant out of Q1.
Sparks fly behind Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on September 23, 2023 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason | Getty Images)
With the end of the first qualifying round, teams focused on the second round. Tire strategy dictated this portion of qualifying.
Q2 would be the first session this weekend that Verstappen would not top the timing charts as he and the McLaren duo elected to save a set of new soft tires for the third and final round. While Verstappen set an impressive benchmark time to start the session on a set of used Soft tires, Leclerc came away with the fastest time.
However, it was the end of the road for five drivers as they would not advance to the next round. The Haas of Kevin Magnussen, the Williams of Alex Albon, the Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, along with a heartbreak from the AlphaTauri of Liam Lawson (who barely missed out on a second Q3 appearance in a row) were eliminated from being able to go for the pole position.
Finally, all attention turned for the final session time for the third and final qualifying round. Verstappen immediately set an already impressive benchmark that put him half a second clear of his closest competitors of both McLarens, meaning there was a lot of work to be done to have the chance to take the fight to him.
But before they could best his initial time, Verstappen returned for his second and final run and broke the 1:29 barrier to put a firm grasp on the pole position for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.
At that point, the McLarens could only settle for second and third, with Piastri lining up alongside Verstappen. Leclerc drove his Ferrari across the line with the fourth fastest time while the other Red Bull of Perez was close to a second slower than his teammate in fifth.
The pole winner for the previous two races, Sainz, brought his Ferrari across the line for the sixth fastest lap, ahead of the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who have had a challenging start to the weekend.
Fresh off his contract renewal and at his home track, Yuki Tsunoda brought his AlphaTauri into ninth, while Fernando Alonso, in his Aston Martin, rounded out the Top 10.
Now, all eyes turned to Sunday for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course. Did Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen return to form, or did McLaren find themselves on the podium’s top step for the first time in years?
